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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019
SeaWorld publishes decades of orca data to help wild whales
By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press
SEATTLE — The endan-
gered killer whales of the
Pacifi c Northwest live very
different lives from orcas in
captivity.
They swim up to 100
miles a day in pursuit of
salmon, instead of being fed
a steady diet of baitfi sh and
multivitamins. Their playful
splashing awes and enter-
tains kayakers and passen-
gers on Washington state
ferries instead of paying
theme park customers.
But the captive whales
are nevertheless providing a
boon to researchers urgently
trying to save wild whales in
the Northwest.
SeaWorld, which dis-
plays orcas at its parks in
California, Texas and Flor-
ida, has recently published
data from thousands of rou-
tine blood tests of its killer
whales over two decades,
revealing the most compre-
hensive picture yet of what
a healthy whale looks like.
The information could guide
how and whether scientists
intervene to help sick or
stranded whales in the wild.
“For us, collecting blood
from free-ranging killer
whales is exceedingly dif-
fi cult, so it’s something we
would rarely ever do,” said
Deborah Fauquier, a veter-
inary medical offi cer at the
National Marine Fisheries
Service. “Having partners
that are in the managed-care
community that can provide
us with blood values from
those animals is very useful.
It’s giving us a very robust
baseline data set that we
haven’t had previously for
these whales.”
The roundup of killer
whales for theme-park dis-
play in the 1960s and ‘70s
was devastating for the
Pacifi c Northwest’s resi-
dent orcas: At least 13 were
killed and 45 kept to awe
and entertain paying crowds
around the world, accord-
ing to the Center for Whale
Research on Washington’s
San Juan Island. Only one of
those orcas survives: Lolita,
at the Miami Seaquarium.
Washington state eventu-
ally sued SeaWorld to stop
the hunts. Today, 17 of Sea-
World’s 20 whales were
born in captivity, including
some descended from orcas
captured near Iceland; the
company hasn’t collected a
wild orca in more than 40
years.
Under public pressure,
it ended its captive breed-
ing program and is replac-
ing trained orca shows with
what it describes as “more
educational
experiences
where guests can still enjoy
and marvel at the majesty
and power of the whales.”
It took decades for the
so-called southern resident
killer whales, which spend
several months every sum-
mer and fall in the marine
waters between Washington
state and Canada, to recover
from the hunts. By the mid-
1990s, their population
reached 98.
Half a century later, the
orcas are struggling against
different threats: pollution,
vessel noise and, most seri-
ously, starvation from a
dearth of Chinook salmon,
their preferred prey. There
are just 75 left, and research-
ers say they’re on the verge
of extinction.
Gov. Jay Inslee has pro-
posed $1.1 billion in spend-
ing to help the whales, with
much of the money going
toward
protecting
and
restoring salmon habitat.
The National Marine Fish-
eries Service, also known as
NOAA Fisheries, is planning
to propose expanded habitat
protections this year for the
whales’ foraging areas off
the Washington, Oregon and
California coasts.
SeaWorld
has
also
boosted its efforts to help
the southern resident orcas,
pledging $10 million to the
National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation’s Killer Whale
Research and Conservation
Program.
“Our stance is to do
research with our animals
to try to help this population
now, and that’s what we’re
doing,” said Todd Robeck,
SeaWorld’s vice president
of conservation research.
“That’s why I got into what
I do — to try to help animals
in the wild.”
Robeck is one of the
lead authors on the review
of SeaWorld’s data, which
included results of more
than 2,800 blood tests on 32
whales from 1993 to 2013.
Data from sick and preg-
nant whales were excluded
to obtain a standard range
for blood values, including
cholesterol, platelet count,
triglycerides and many other
metrics. The whales were
trained to present the under-
side of their tails for the
blood draws, which were
taken once or twice a month.
Housing: HB 2001 is part of a set of bills Kotek is championing
Continued from Page A1
Zika said.
Rep. Ron Noble, R-Carl-
ton, who was part of a
work group Kotek con-
vened to hone the proposal,
described his committee
vote as a “courtesy yes.” He
thinks the bill is better than
it was, but he’s still not sold
on idea of the state requiring
local governments to loosen
their land use rules.
“It’s a hammer, as
opposed to a carrot,” Noble
said.
The League of Oregon
Cities still isn’t on board
either, lobbyist Erin Doyle
said, but it does think HB
2001 has improved by giv-
ing cities more control and
more time to implement
changes.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
In Clatsop County, a housing study concluded many newer
homes are not aff ordable for families with an average income.
“There’s only so much
we can do that we drive our-
selves as public agencies —
only so much housing that
we can build,” Marsh said.
“We really need to look at
ways that we can be effec-
tive in the private realm, in
helping people to stay in
their homes, upgrade their
homes and not lose them.”
interest deduction.
Keny-Guyer wants to
kill the mortgage inter-
est deduction for second
homes, as well as limit it
for the state’s top earners.
Set of bills
Households with at least
HB 2001 is part of a set
$200,000 in annual adjusted
of bills Kotek is champi-
gross income would only be
oning. House Bill 2002 is
able to claim a portion of the
a more technical bill that
deduction; those making an
aims to preserve subsidized
adjusted quarter-million or
Money an issue
low-income housing. House
more wouldn’t be able to
Programs cost money, claim it at all.
Bill 2003 would compel
cities to permit affordable though. Budget-writers in
Estimates suggest Keny-
housing on residential land the Legislature are already Guyer’s proposal, House
that they own. It would also combing through spread- Bill 3349, would raise about
require them to create more sheets trying to fi nd sav- $160 million during the
detailed reports on their ings, as key Democrats in next biennium. Keny-Guyer
housing needs and strategies Salem concede that the state wants that revenue to be
will have to make diffi cult spent on affordable housing
to address them.
Taken together, those decisions to cut existing and homelessness.
three bills would spend services, let alone add new
“It’s hard for me to
more than $4.5 million ones.
imagine worse places for
out of the state’s general
“I think it’s real easy from this money to go than the
fund — largely for techni- an advocate standpoint to wealthiest
Oregonians,”
cal assistance to help local really passionately hone in Keny-Guyer said. “I’m
governments with planning on one program or feature,” going to fi ght like the dick-
— and authorize up to $25 said Rep. Dan Rayfi eld, ens to have it go to hous-
million in lottery bonds for D-Corvallis, who co-chairs ing and the most vulnerable
an affordable housing
populations.”
preservation fund.
Republicans, even
Kotek’s trilogy of
those on Keny-Guyer’s
‘IT’S HARD FOR ME
bills have grabbed most
committee and sympa-
TO IMAGINE WORSE thetic to her cause, are
of the attention around
housing. But there are
skeptical.
PLACES FOR THIS
other proposals under
Zika pointed out
consideration.
MONEY TO GO THAN that if HB 3349 passes,
House Bill 2228,
the Legislature could
THE WEALTHIEST
proposed by Rep.
later decide to redirect
David
Gomberg,
those mortgage inter-
OREGONIANS. I’M
D-Otis, would allo-
est deduction savings
GOING TO FIGHT
cate $2.5 million for
— or it could slash the
housing-related tech-
deduction further, so
LIKE THE DICKENS
nical assistance from
it wouldn’t just affect
the state to cities and
the 4% of Oregon tax-
TO HAVE IT GO TO
counties. It’s intended
payers with more than
HOUSING AND THE
to help small and rural
$200,000 in adjusted
communities, which
gross income. Noble
MOST VULNERABLE
often have just one
said if the state does
planner on their payroll
slap limits on who
POPULATIONS.’
or under contract.
can claim the mort-
Another set of bills
State Rep. Alissa
gage interest deduc-
Keny-Guyer, D-Portland
put forward by Rep.
tion, he wants them to
Pam Marsh, D-Ash-
be indexed to infl ation.
land, would focus on
Conservatives have
manufactured homes, which the Ways and Means Com- zeroed in on legislation
she describes as “natu- mittee. “But then also — like HB 3349 as an exam-
rally occurring affordable looking at what’s the holis- ple of Democrats, who hold
housing.”
tic sense — if you were to House and Senate superma-
“Typically, it’s less fund that, what does that jorities this year, trying to
expensive and more acces- take away elsewhere in the tax their way out of a sticky
sible to people of lower budget?”
situation with the state bud-
incomes,” Marsh said.
Keny-Guyer said she get. Battle lines are already
Marsh’s
legislation it’s frustrating to help craft being drawn over a $2 bil-
would let people living in an policies that she believes lion tax plan to fund K-12
old mobile home take out a will help Oregonians, only and early childhood educa-
state loan to buy a new one, to watch as the Ways and tion; other proposals, like a
provide state grants for old Means Committee set them payroll tax to pay for family
mobile homes to be hauled aside for lack of money. It’s and medical leave insurance
away and disposed, and set happened to her before, and and a sweeping plan to curb
up another loan program she hopes this year will be greenhouse gas emissions,
intended to keep mobile different.
have also earned the scorn
home parks open and afford-
“The big message that of many business owners,
able for residents.
I keep hearing this session especially outside the Port-
She has also put forward is if you want funding, you land area.
House Bill 2802, which have to come up with (reve-
Kotek said this week
would make up to $13 mil- nue),” Keny-Guyer said.
that in the context of those
lion available in grants to
Her solution: Pare back political fi ghts, she doesn’t
help low-income residents what she calls Oregon’s think the Legislature will
with major home repairs. largest housing subsidy, a need to limit the mortgage
Gomberg, Keny-Guyer and tax break for homeown- interest deduction. Raising
ers known as the mortgage taxes would require Demo-
Noble are co-sponsors.
crats to fl ex their superma-
jorities, since 18 senators
and 36 representatives must
approve for a tax increase to
pass. She’s hoping to fi nd
money for affordable hous-
ing elsewhere in the budget.
If the Legislature were to
cap the deduction, though,
Kotek thinks Keny-Guyer
has the right intent.
“I think we would have
to dedicate it to things
that are helping us with
our housing crisis,” Kotek
said. “Otherwise, I think
it would be a hard thing to
defend, because I think peo-
ple understand the nexus
between that particular tax
break and fi nding some
money to pay for housing.”
Legislators already have
passed rent control legisla-
tion that Gov. Kate Brown
signed into law — it did
not require supermajority
approval — and last week,
the governor signed off on
another
housing-related
bill. House Bill 3336 allows
Redmond to expand its
urban growth boundary to
build up to 485 homes. Half
of those homes would be for
low-income residents.
“It’s part of a pilot proj-
ect that we did,” Zika said.
“Not only will it help Red-
mond, I think once this has
been implemented and we
see that cities can grow
affordable housing units,
then maybe we can spread
it out to all the rest of the
cities.”
Experimental efforts
Legislators
could
approve other experimen-
tal efforts to provide more
housing in other areas.
Noble’s House Bill 2997
is tailored for McMinn-
ville, allowing the city to
test a broader form of inclu-
sionary zoning than Oregon
allows in other cities. If it
becomes law, McMinnville
could pass an ordinance
requiring that within a new
development of at least 20
apartments or houses, at
least one-fi fth would have
to be built and maintained
as affordable housing. The
bill passed the House last
week 51-8.
Tom Schauer, McMinn-
ville city planner, described
the proposal as a pilot proj-
ect for his city. Noble said
he doesn’t know if it will
accomplish much, but he
thinks it’s worth a shot.
“We need to look at
stimulating supply to deal
with our long-term housing
issues, but we need to come
up with something to deal
with the short term,” Noble
said. “We still have people
on the street. We still have
people that spend way too
much money on housing.”
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